It’s Hump Day, Y’all!
“We’ve got to get ova da hump!” That’s ’cause tomorrow, July 13th, is my birthday!! Some of y’all might remember that my birthday present to myself is a trip to Barcelona scheduled for next week, July 19th as I am planning to fly standby with Delta Airlines. Now, many of you, whether you have gotten mad at me or not for not being able to “repay” you in a timely fashion have actually helped me get to this point. Trust me … I thank you. Nowadays, folks call trips like this something on their “bucket list”. It is just something nice that I’d like to do … for myself. Some of you have helped me and Educational Excellence with a contribution or donation back in the days when I was trying to get my 501(3)c status in order to establish EE as a “sole proprietorship”/LLC status where I could receive donations from corporations or individuals who would be able to use those donations as a “tax write-off” so to speak, as I had planned to develop a full fledged “motivational speaker” component of Educational Excellence. You know, I have learned to roll with the punches, yet always be grateful for anything that anyone ever did for me or gave to me … as well as anything that ever “came my way”. In essence, this is why I continue to send out my e-mails to each of you and convert them into blog posts. Now, one more thing … feel free to let me know that you would like to be removed from what I call “my e-mail family”! So be it … I keep on truckin’! It reminds me of a group called “The Impressions” when I was growing up that included a balladeer named “Curtis Mayfield”. One of his top hits was “Keep On Pushin'” ….
Some of you may remember my “4th of July Event” on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale where an FLPD motorcycle cop saw fit to issue me a ticket for “Fail Use Sidewalk”, FL State Statute 310.130-3, which reads: “(3) Where sidewalks are provided, no pedestrian shall, unless required by other circumstances, walk along and upon the portion of a roadway paved for vehicular traffic.” Now, unless “you” choose to be an ostrich with “your” head stuck deep in the sand, you will understand the relationship between “other circumstances” and “metal barriers” placed along the entire A-1-A by the Department of Transportation of the City of Ft. Lauderdale, especially on holidays like Memorial Day, The Air and Sea Show and the 4th of July. The choice is yours. I took my decision to file a “formal complaint” against the officer who not only issued the “bogus” ticket, but sought to harass, threaten and profile me as he took a minuscule situation and tried to turn it into a “crime”. I will be meeting with an “Internal Affairs” representative later today to discuss this “situation”. My associate, Alexandre Schmid, who witnessed the entire fiasco and was NOT issued a ticket, was also invited to join me to make a statement. A special thanks to college chum, Adonis Hoffman, Esq., who helped me firm up my defense in this situation. Do what you will, but I will “Keep On Pushin'”! I’ll keep you all posted …
Back in the day, shucks … maybe a few years ago, I used to celebrate my birthday the entire month of July! Well, I am kind of starting today, perhaps, by being in a most festive mood, which for me, is based in gratitude. So, once again, I’d like to thank you all for reading, and, try to keep some of my episodes and stories as anecdotes for your self as well as others who might find themselves in similar situations.
Peace,
Educational Excellence 